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razorr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This was my first T. Kingfisher book and I've got to say I was extremely impressed. All the parts that needed to be tense, horrifying, or inexplicably bizarre totally nailed the landing, and the protagonists' witty natures helped bring levity at important moments. I also really love the monster designs presented here.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, and Death
honeygore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Another absolute banger by T. Kingfisher. I first read A House with Good Bones and simply fell in love with her writing, and I picked up The Hollow Places without really knowing what it was about. I couldn't put it down! It had me laughing one minute to clenching my buttcheeks in panic the next. I can't wait to pick my next horror novel by Kingfisher!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
killmoore_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I enjoyed this alot, despite it feeling more whimsical horror adjacent than actual horror. It held no real thrill for me. I would love to see it as a well done movie, but as a book, Kara's monologuing felt a bit repetitive. Definitely a unique read that I would recommend for those looking for a visual treat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
dcnireads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
SPOILERS AHEAD
im sorry i just have to say it: i cant help feeling annoyed that they went through with exploring the willows in the first place (even if it was necessary to move the plot forward, i have common sense, ofc).
both kara and simon were aware of what a stupid decision they were making but they still did it anyway! like guys, come on. yall knew something sinister was happening. you're in a horror story, act like it. i know how shit simon's depth perception was and that absorbing his twin in the womb probably screwed him up just a tad bit (though that sister third eye of his helped a LOT), and that the divorce was messing with kara more than she cared to admit, but couldn't there have been a little more common sense present in the room with them? i know that none of this happening would mean that we wouldn't have like, half of the entire book but they were really stressing me tf out there.
that being said, for the sake of the story, i do wish that we got more of the hell between worlds other than the impromptu journey simon and kara did. whatever happened to singer and bible? did they even make it out? (i like to think they did). i wish we had more light monster encounters in their true form, or more boatman scenes. it would've also been nice if we got real glimpses into the other worlds that the willow opens up to, besides the artifacts from there that kara and simon have collected.
but i do get the idea that doing this would take away the connection that the willows has to the world that our characters live in. in the end, using the museum as the setting for the last stand down with the corpse otter was a decision that grew on me, because it was a great way to emphasize kara's fear of the willows and all its horrors finding their way into our world and taking over it.
anyways, i never thought i'd end up liking a bunch of creepy taxidermy animals in a bizarre little wonder museum but hey! here we are. special shout out to prince the giant guardian antelope, you horned legend, and of course: the man, the myth, the legend, the museum mouse catching master, beauregard himself. you deserve all the tasty fish leather in the world, good boy. thank you for throwing hands with that nasty otter.
speaking of the latter, this book literally has terrifying, uniquely described light monsters that can move through the interdimensional veil of reality and universes and hunt you by listening to your thoughts, so making it choose to take the form of an animal that is universally loved by humankind in the final boss battle was crazy in an absurdly good way that i didn't see coming. i have to admit, i was gagged.
this story only really got exciting towards the end, and despite my opinions regarding the lack of exploration and content on the lore of the willows and beyond, i was really, really glad that they didnt get into this world and that kara didn't get trapped out there like i was so afraid she would. this book didn't go down the "it all goes wrong and the protagonist loses" ending route that a lot of horror stories like to do and i appreciate that. it ended on a much more positive note than im used to seeing in this kind of genre, but i like happy, comforting endings! im fragile! sue me!
in conclusion, i didn't have as much of a fun time as i hoped i would, but there were many things that i enjoyed, and im still glad i gave it a shot. the overall fun reepiness of the wonder museum and the tiny hole into multiverse hell hole is something ill look back on with fondness on this spooky journey of mine. 3.75 stars <3
im sorry i just have to say it: i cant help feeling annoyed that they went through with exploring the willows in the first place (even if it was necessary to move the plot forward, i have common sense, ofc).
both kara and simon were aware of what a stupid decision they were making but they still did it anyway! like guys, come on. yall knew something sinister was happening. you're in a horror story, act like it. i know how shit simon's depth perception was and that absorbing his twin in the womb probably screwed him up just a tad bit (though that sister third eye of his helped a LOT), and that the divorce was messing with kara more than she cared to admit, but couldn't there have been a little more common sense present in the room with them? i know that none of this happening would mean that we wouldn't have like, half of the entire book but they were really stressing me tf out there.
that being said, for the sake of the story, i do wish that we got more of the hell between worlds other than the impromptu journey simon and kara did. whatever happened to singer and bible? did they even make it out? (i like to think they did). i wish we had more light monster encounters in their true form, or more boatman scenes. it would've also been nice if we got real glimpses into the other worlds that the willow opens up to, besides the artifacts from there that kara and simon have collected.
but i do get the idea that doing this would take away the connection that the willows has to the world that our characters live in. in the end, using the museum as the setting for the last stand down with the corpse otter was a decision that grew on me, because it was a great way to emphasize kara's fear of the willows and all its horrors finding their way into our world and taking over it.
anyways, i never thought i'd end up liking a bunch of creepy taxidermy animals in a bizarre little wonder museum but hey! here we are. special shout out to prince the giant guardian antelope, you horned legend, and of course: the man, the myth, the legend, the museum mouse catching master, beauregard himself. you deserve all the tasty fish leather in the world, good boy. thank you for throwing hands with that nasty otter.
speaking of the latter, this book literally has terrifying, uniquely described light monsters that can move through the interdimensional veil of reality and universes and hunt you by listening to your thoughts, so making it choose to take the form of an animal that is universally loved by humankind in the final boss battle was crazy in an absurdly good way that i didn't see coming. i have to admit, i was gagged.
this story only really got exciting towards the end, and despite my opinions regarding the lack of exploration and content on the lore of the willows and beyond, i was really, really glad that they didnt get into this world and that kara didn't get trapped out there like i was so afraid she would. this book didn't go down the "it all goes wrong and the protagonist loses" ending route that a lot of horror stories like to do and i appreciate that. it ended on a much more positive note than im used to seeing in this kind of genre, but i like happy, comforting endings! im fragile! sue me!
in conclusion, i didn't have as much of a fun time as i hoped i would, but there were many things that i enjoyed, and im still glad i gave it a shot. the overall fun reepiness of the wonder museum and the tiny hole into multiverse hell hole is something ill look back on with fondness on this spooky journey of mine. 3.75 stars <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
ceredonia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
singalana's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Even though enjoyable, this book felt like the author got this idea and wrote a story around it, even though the original idea was mostly vibes.
Kara is divorced and moves into his uncle's house to help out and save some money. Uncle Earl has a Wonder Museum, displaying all kinds of curiosities and when he has to have a surgery, Kara is left to take care of his business while he's away. The beginning reminds me of Gravity Falls (the series) and feels cosy and interesting.
But then Kara discovers a hole in the wall, and together with Simon, the barista from next door, find that the hole leads into another world. This is where the story falls a bit flat. In my opinion, the creepiness factor wasn't quite there (apart from a few scenes) and the story lagged.
However the ending felt satisfying enough, and I liked the characters. The audiobook narrator was quite good too.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, Blood, and Alcohol
tays_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, and Vomit
cuddlygryphon's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Vomit, and Medical content
Minor: Confinement, Gun violence, Grief, and Cannibalism
nelldiaz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A fun creepy story that had charm to it. I loved the characters. T Kingfisher is becoming one of my favourite authors. The performance of the narrator was also excellent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death and Blood
Minor: Car accident and Alcohol
Taxidermy, creepy monstersmaryellen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail